5 Times Peter Didn't Say He Was Struggling…And One Time He Did
by Bladam-Shevine
Summary: Peter had a knack for keeping things to himself, causing an unnecessary amount of stress for an greying Tony Stark.
1. Chapter 1

It started with a sniffle.

It was nothing too serious, just a bit of a runny nose. Something that can be cured with a combination of tissues, medication and a good night's sleep. Peter knew what the symptoms of a common cold was, and was not concerned when the back of his throat began to itch and he began sneezing more than usual.

He wasn't concerned because it was just a cold. Just a stupid, annoying, inconvenience of a cold.

He was also aware of the fact that he was a super-human, and he had an increased healing factor meaning that his "cold" would virtually disappear within a day or two rather than a couple weeks that the average person would have to suffer through.

May noticed first, of course. It was hard not to notice the pile of tissues that sat beside the teenager's bed and the gradually diminishing amount of cold medication taken from the cabinet in the bathroom.

She brought it up as Peter was rushing to catch the bus, running late as per usual.

"Are you sure you feel up to going to school today?" She asked.

"What? Yeah, of course! I feel fine." _An obvious lie, he felt like absolute garbage._

"You don't look fine. You look like crap."

 _Thanks for putting it lightly, May._ He thought.

"I promise, I'm fine. Just tired, I guess."

"Well if you change your mind and want to come home, just call me and I can come pick you up."

"Aunt May, I'll be fine. Plus, I have a biology test later today that I cannot miss."

"I'm sure your teacher would understand if you're sick…"

"I'm not sick! I have to go catch the bus now, bye May I love you!"

He let the door slam behind him.

The next person to notice was Michelle, who always seemed to show her concern in a funny way.

"You look like shit, have you been drinking?" The brunette asked as she leaned against the adjacent locker as Peter rummaged for his books.

"What? No!"

"Your eyelids are all droopy."

"Yeah, well I was up all night studying for this bio test."

"You're lying. I can tell."

 _He wasn't lying, actually. He had stayed up all night trying to get as much studying in as possible. Probably not the smartest thing to do on top of his cold._

"I'm not lying."

"There's another lie."

Peter groaned. "I just have a cold, alright?"

Michelle smirked. "Did a homeless guy sneeze on you on the subway again?"

"No… And what do you mean again? That never happened."

The girl rolled her eyes. "Whatever just don't pass your cold onto me I have an English paper due next week."

Peter timidly waved as the girl turned to walk away. "Bye, thanks for the concern!"

Come lunch time, Peter found himself sitting at a lunch table by himself, his textbooks spread across the surface as he crammed in some last minute studying before his test next period. Biology was one of his best subjects; he usually could ace a test without studying, yet today was different. He felt like he could barely absorb any of the information he was attempting to learn.

It was this stupid cold. It was impeding his studying ability.

Nonetheless, he found himself sitting in fourth period biology, pencil in hand waiting for the tests to be distributed.

It was a miracle that he even finished the test in time. He barely got through the last question on the stages of mitosis. He went home that evening, feeling worse than ever, not only because of his cold, but now because of the test he most likely failed.

He was surprised to come home to an empty apartment. May had left a note saying she went to run some errands, and that she left money on the counter if he wanted to order a pizza. Normally, he would've been on the phone with Dominoes in a matter of seconds, but today he just didn't have much of an appetite.

He went to bed, hopeful that his symptoms would be cleared by tomorrow morning.

Peter woke an hour later to May's hand on his forehead, checking his temperature. "You're burning up, sweetie. Let me go get you some Tylenol." She left and returned with a bottle of water and a couple of pills. It didn't take him long to fall back asleep.

He woke the next morning, the red numbers on his clock reading 9:58 am.

 _Oh crap! I slept in!_ He thought, as he stumbled out of bed and ran to put some clothes on. Grabbing his bag, he made his way to the doorway, but stopped when he saw May on the couch.

"Why didn't you wake me for school?" He asked, slightly annoyed.

"Peter! I didn't hear you get up! And I called the school, you're not going today."

"But May-"

"No buts, get back to bed. You're sick."

"May, it's just a cold. And besides, I was supposed to meet Mr. Stark at the Avengers compound after school to work on the internship." _They were actually working on suit upgrades, but May didn't know about his identity as Spider-Man, despite the close call he experienced a few months before. She caught him in his suit, and the first lie he came up with was that he was an avid cosplayer. Somehow, she bought into it._

"Well, you can go back to sleep and maybe if you feel better later then you can go work on your internship."

Peter groaned before obeying and heading back to his tiny bedroom. He hated missing school; it took days to catch up on work with his heavy course load. Deep down however, he was somewhat thankful that May had called the school for him. He was actually feeling worse than yesterday, which was strange considering his healing factor should have kicked in by now.

He set an alarm on his phone and quickly sent a text to Happy.

 **Peter: "** _ **Change of plans, can you pick me up at my apartment instead of school today… Please?"**_

 _ **Happy: "You're skipping school?"**_

 _ **Peter: "No… I just forgot something at home and have to run back there before going to Mr. Starks and I didn't want you to make an extra trip."**_

 _ **Happy: "Uh huh. Alright kid, I'll pick you up at 3:00. Don't be late."**_

He felt bad lying to Happy, but he couldn't let him know he was sick. Tony had a tendency to overreact, and if he found out he would revoke his patrolling privileges and force him to see a doctor.

Peter curled up under the covers, praying that when he woke up he'd be cold-free.

But, unfortunately he woke up feeling even worse, if even possible. His chest burned, and he forced himself to stifle a cough to try and fool May into thinking he was fine.

He quickly got up, pulling on a pair of jeans, feeling dizzy with the movement. He made his way to the living room, putting on a façade resembling healthiness.

"Hi honey! How do you feel?" She greeted.

"Much better Aunt May!" He smiled, hoping she wouldn't see through his lies.

"You're sure?"

"Yes! I feel great! Happy is picking me up at 3. I'm going to head downstairs and wait. He hates it when I'm late."

"Alright, text me later and let me know how things are going, okay?"

"Yes, of course, bye!" He said, as he staggered out the door. He clumsily made his way down the stairs, focusing on putting one foot in front of the other and trying not to trip.

He stood outside in the cold, shivering as he waited for Happy to pull up. It felt like hours standing outside with his aching chest, when realistically he was only there for ten minutes. Peter visibly sighed in relief as Happy arrived and he climbed into the back seat.

"You look like crap." The grumpy man greeted.

"People have been saying that a lot to me lately."

"Maybe because it's true. Seriously, kid, are you okay?"

 _It was very unlike Happy to show concern, making Peter wonder how bad he actually looked._

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just have this annoying cold…"

"So that's why you skipped school today? To take a sick day?"

"What? No- Happy, I told you-"

"You're a terrible liar, kid."

Peter's faced reddened. "Please don't tell Mr. Stark…"

"Yeah, fine, whatever. Just don't puke in the car."

Peter nodded as the two drove off. He could've sworn he nodded off because the next thing he knew, they had pulled up in front of the compound.

"We're here." Happy announced.

"Awesome! Thanks Happy!" Peter grabbed the door handle, ready to exit before being interrupted by the older man.

"Hey kid?"

"Yeah, Happy?"

"Don't overwork yourself in there. It's okay to take a break you know. Mind you, a break is probably the last thing you need considering you slept the whole ride here."

 _Ah, so he did fall asleep._

"Thanks Happy, but I'm fine honestly. Thanks again for the ride!"

He stepped out before he could be lectured again, making his way inside the compound.

Peter startled as an overhead voice greeted him when he made his way through the large set of doors. "Welcome, Peter. Mr. Stark is currently working in his lab. He is expecting you."

No matter how many times he visited the place, the sound of Mr. Stark's AI, F.R.I.D.A.Y almost always scared him to death when she spoke. "Thank you, F.R.I.D.A.Y, I'll go meet him."

He took the elevator up and quickly made his way through the glass doors, anxious to get to work on his suit. Tony turned around, greeting the teen.

"Took you long enough to get here! I've already started working on some plans for your suit... Also, I hope you're hungry because I ordered Chinese food, and Vision doesn't eat so it's just you and me who will be enjoying it."

Peter smiled at the kind act. "Thanks, Mr. Stark, but I'm not hungry."

Tony sarcastically gasped and placed his hand to his mouth. "Peter Parker isn't hungry!? What is this madness?"

"I ate before I came…" He lied.

"Well, maybe you'll be hungry later. Anyways, come take a seat."

Peter obeyed, pulling up a stool next to the desk where the other man was sitting. He pretended to listen as the man drabbled on about upgrades and repairs and the list of tools they were going to need. Peter was trying to pay attention, he honestly was, but he couldn't fight the waves of dizziness that were suddenly overcoming him.

 _God, it was really hot in here…_

He tugged at the collar of his shirt, realizing then that he was in fact sweating profusely.

He hadn't noticed Tony calling his name and nearly jumped out of his seat when the man placed a clasped a hand on his shoulder.

"Peter?"

"Uh, sorry what was that?"

"I just asked if you were listening. Are you okay? You seem kinda spaced out… Did Aunt Hottie whip up a batch of pot brownies?"

"I'm fine, Mr. Stark… I'm just feeling a bit tired."

Tony furrowed his eyebrows. "Just tired? No offense, kid but you look like the walking incarnate of death."

"Yeah… Tired, and a bit hot. Actually, Mr. Stark would it be a bother if I can have some water?"

Tony mumbled something under his breath about having to use his precious energy to cross the room to get to the sink and fill up a glass.

Peter wanted to laugh at the man's pretend annoyance, but something felt very wrong. He could barely breathe, his face was burning and his chest felt tight. He was trying to stay upright in his seat, but his pounding head was making it extremely difficult.

 _Maybe this was a mistake for me to come; maybe I should've stayed home._

He vaguely heard the sound of running water before his world tilted dangerously and he suddenly found himself lying on the cool tile floor, blinking his eyes rapidly as he tried to stay conscious.

"Peter!" He heard Tony shout and the sound of a glass hitting the floor. His eyes slipped shut as he felt a presence kneeling next to him, running his hands over the teen's ribs, checking for injuries. Peter was aware of two fingers pressing against his neck, checking for a pulse, and barely registered the man's sigh of relief as he found one.

"Peter… Can you hear me? Open your eyes." He demanded, a worried tone lacing itself around his words.

"F.R.I.D.A.Y, get Dr. Banner down here."

"He's already been alerted of the situation, Boss."

"Well then tell him to hurry."

Peter tried to force himself awake, not wanting Tony to worry more than he already was, but his fight against consciousness was lost as he finally drifted into sleep.

He awoke with a start to the sound of an unfamiliar beeping sound that seemed to be consistent with his own heartbeat. He was almost afraid to, but still opened his eyes a crack to find himself in a dimly lit room painted a pale shade of grey. The distant smell of cleaning products filled his nose. He tilted his head slightly to see an IV tube inserted into his arm, allowing medication to flow through his blood stream. He tried to divert his attention from this, the thought of blood making him queasy. As he attempted to take a deep breath despite his burning lungs, he realized there was something plastered to his face, reaching up he felt the oxygen mask that was assisting him with breathing normally. Unsure of where he was and what was going on, he quickly tried to remove the mask in a heap of panic.

"No, uh-uh, don't touch that, spider-ling." He felt a hand slap his own away, forcing it to his side. Peter was suddenly aware that he wasn't alone, and turned his head to see none other than Tony Stark sitting in a chair next to his bed.

"Once you're feeling better, I expect a full explanation as to why you decided to try and hide the fact that you were sick. Oh, and I realize I'm not your father or anything, but you are so grounded on account of the fact that you nearly gave me a heart attack when I saw you swan dive into the floor."

Peter's face flushed as memories flooded back into his head.

 _Oh shit._ He thought.

"Yeah, oh shit."

 _Oh… he must have said that out loud._

"Peter! What the hell? I know you're smarter than that! You're practically a boy-genius… You should've known to cancel our plans if you were feeling this ill…"

"Tony! Please don't yell at my patient."

Both Tony and Peter looked up to see Dr. Bruce Banner enter the room, a clipboard in hands.

"Sorry, Brucey. But, the kid needs to learn to take care of himself once in a while."

Bruce rolled his eyes as he directed his attention towards the teen. "Bacterial Pneumonia, Peter. That's what you have. Your temperature was 104.6 degrees and you were severely dehydrated. Tony told me about your healing abilities, and this could have cleared up within a couple days, but given the fact that you've been overworking yourself instead of resting basically stopped your body from healing itself on its own, despite your powers. I'm giving you some antibiotics and you're going to be on bedrest for the next little while. I'm optimistic that this should clear up pretty soon, given that you obey my instructions."

"Oh damn right he will." Tony interrupted.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Stark, I'm really sorry." Peter stammered, as his cheeks blushed.

"Yeah, well save your apologies for your Aunt. She sounded pretty pissed on the phone, she should be here in half an hour or so."

"You called May!?"

"You bet I did."

 _Crap…_

"I'm going to go grab my medical bag from the lab and do another checkup when I get back." Bruce stated as he left the room, leaving the remaining two sitting in an awkward silence.

"Peter-" Tony started, gaining the boy's attention. "I just need to know what you were thinking. How could you hide this from me? Do you know how scared I was when I saw you collapse? I'm an old man, Peter. I can't handle that much stress."

"I'm sorry, Mr. Stark."

"Stop apologizing, kid and just tell me why you didn't tell me you were sick."

Peter took a deep breath, ignoring the still-lingering pain in his chest before he spoke. "I just- I- I had a lot going on this week… And I didn't want to cancel on you. I, uh, I didn't want you to think I was weak."

"Peter, you are not weak for being sick… Everybody gets sick, even teenage super-humans get sick; it's nothing to be ashamed of. And it's perfectly fine to take a break."

"I just don't like feeling useless."

"Useless? Kid, there's nothing useless about taking a few days off."

"God, Mr. Stark. I'm so embarrassed."

"Nothing to be embarrassed about, Pete. Please just promise me that next time you're feeling even a little bit under the weather, you'll tell me, or May, or Happy or anybody that you need a couple days to rest up and get better. I don't mind cancelling our plans; suit upgrades can wait for your health to restore."

"Sir, May Parker has arrived." F.R.I.D.A.Y announced.

Tony chucked as Peter's eyes went wider than a deer's caught in headlights as he got up to leave the room.

"Mr. Stark! Where are you going?"

"I don't want to be around when your Aunt comes in. I'm afraid she might turn greener than Bruce, did I mention how mad she is at you?"

Peter groaned, as he prepared to face the wrath of a worried/angry/anxious May Parker.


	2. Chapter 2

Peter was not new to the experience of a major injury.

In fact, being Spider-Man increased his odds of succumbing to countless amounts of black eyes and bruised knuckles.

Every single time he put the suit on he anticipated receiving a minor injury or two. Spider-Man was the one who got hurt, it was never Peter Parker.

Until it was.

And it happened on a day that started like any other.

It was nearly 7 a.m. and he had just stepped out of the shower, barely even awake yet.

May was nagging at him to hurry up or he'd be late, as she herself was getting ready for work.

"Peter, come on, your breakfast is getting cold!"

"I'm coming May!" He shouted his tone snappier than he meant it to be. He was just feeling so scattered, organization had never been a strong trait of his.

He had a history essay due later that afternoon, one that he procrastinated on until the last possible minute. He finally had finished it about 3 in the morning.

And now he couldn't find his deodorant…

As he tossed his belongings around looking for the stick of Old Spice, May angrily entered the room.

"May! C'mon a little privacy please?"

She ignored his comment, instead looking around at the clutter he had created. "Peter! Your room is a mess!"

"I'm sorry May! I've had a lot going on this week; I didn't have time to clean up."

"No, Peter I don't want to hear any excuses. This is an absolute disgrace. I expect this to be cleaned up tonight or you're grounded- no computer privileges."

"Grounded!? Seriously, May? I've been busy!"

"I don't care Peter! I don't expect much from you, but a clean room goes without saying. Now hurry up and come eat your breakfast before school. I can drop you off before work."

"Alright, May. I'm coming."

He quickly threw on the deodorant he managed to find buried underneath a pile a shirts and made his way out of the tiny bedroom. The smell of bacon and eggs filled his nostrils as he eagerly made his way towards the counter. He quickly dug into the food, not even noticing how hungry he had been.

"You don't have to eat like a caveman." May said as she grabbed her shoes from the hallway closet.

"I'm starving." He said through a mouthful of food.

Within a matter of seconds, the plate of eggs was gone and Peter ran to grab his school bag.

"Ready to go?" May asked.

Peter nodded.

"Ok. Let's go." They headed towards the door before May's cell phone started ringing from the hand in which she held it.

"Oh shoot, that's work. I have to take this. It'll only be a minute. Why don't you head downstairs to the car? I'll meet you down there."

"Ok, May." Peter quietly shut the apartment door behind him as May answered the call.

As he made his way towards the end of the hallway where the stairs were located, he went over a mental checklist of his school items.

 _Backpack? Check._

 _Textbooks? Check._

 _Notebook? Check._

 _Pencil case? Check?_

 _History essay?_

… _Oh shoot! He left his essay on the desk in his room!_

Hearing May beginning to wrap up her phone call he quickly shouted out to her. "Wait May I forgot my essay, don't lock the door!"

He quickly turned on his heels, rushing back up the stairs.

Unfortunately, he didn't notice the shoelace on his shoe had come untied.

He tried to catch himself at the last minute, but it hadn't registered to his over-occupied brain that he was falling until it was too late.

He landed awkwardly on his ankle, a _snapping_ sound resonating in the empty stairwell.

"Ow! _Shit_!" He exclaimed.

That really hurt…

He sat, stunned in the uncomfortable position he had fallen in, trying to make an understanding of what had just happened.

May came running down the hall at the sound of her nephew falling.

"Peter! Peter? Are you alright?"

She suddenly appeared in front of him, a look of concern on her face at the sight of him sprawled out on the stairs.

"Oh my god! What happened? Did you fall?"

She bent down beside him, running her hands over him, scanning for injuries.

The shock finally wore off and Peter found himself struggling to get up. "I'm fine May, really. I just tripped…"

"Oh my god," May began as she put her hand to her forehead. "You scared the crap out of me."

Peter finally managed to stand up on both feet now, but almost fell back down as a sharp pain pulsed in his ankle.

May noticed his stagger and reached out to grab his arm, stopping him from falling completely over.

"Are you okay? Where does it hurt?"

"No, May. I'm fine."

 _Was he trying to convince her or himself?_

"Peter, please don't lie to me. I need to know if you're hurt."

"I just landed on my ankle kinda weird. I think it's just bruised. Its fine May, really I'm fine."

"Peter-"

"Aunt May, I'm fine! I promise! I really need to get to school…"

The woman frowned; still not convinced that he was telling the truth.

"I'd feel a lot better if we took you to the hospital, for an x-ray. Just to make sure nothing's broken."

"No May, please. I have to hand in my essay… Which is actually still on my dresser. Do you mind grabbing it for me?"

"Okay. I'll be right back. Please don't fall down the stairs again while I'm gone."

Peter smirked at her comment, but as soon as she left his sight he groaned loudly and rolled up the leg of his pants.

 _Yeah, his ankle was definitely not fine. It hurt… A lot. But, it was fine. His powers would allow for it to heal at a quicker rate. Hopefully the pain would be gone by the end of the day._

May came back, essay in hand and handed it to the teen.

"You're sure you're okay?" She asked, as if expecting a different response.

"Yes May." He smiled back.

"You know I don't believe you right?"

"Sure, May."

As they headed down the stairs and towards the car, Peter tried to hide his limp and the grimace on his face.

He slid into the passenger seat as May started the engine.

The traffic was light, and it didn't take long for them to arrive in front of the school.

"I want you to text me if you feel any more pain, okay?"

"It barely even hurts anymore May! I'm already late, I have to go! Love you, bye!"

He slammed the car door shut, and tried his best to walk normally up the sidewalk. As soon as May drove off out of sight, he returned to limping.

 _God, he really was hurt._

As he stumbled up the steps of the school he ran into Ned in the hallway. Peter didn't strike him as an observant person, but apparently his abnormal gait was hard to not to notice.

His friend was at his side in an instant, interrogating him with a flurry of questions. "What happened to your leg?"

"Nothing, Ned."

"Did you get hurt on patrol?"

"No, Ned."

"Did someone shoot you in the foot?"

"Oh my god, no Ned."

"Well then what happened?"

"Nothing! I just stepped on it weird."

Ned dropped the topic after that, instead choosing to talk about the new Star Wars movie.

Peter was hoping Ned was the only one who would ask about his ankle, but unfortunately this wasn't the case. He got concerned looks from teachers and students, even Flash spoke up.

"Hey Penis Parker! What happened did a car run over your foot or something?"

He just wanted this day to be over…

And thankfully, before he knew it the school bell was ringing and he was hopping out of his seat, wincing at the extra weight he put on his ankle.

He had successfully handed in his essay, and felt as if a huge burden had been lifted off his chest. If it wasn't for his stupid foot he'd be beaming right now.

He put his headphones in, prepared to board the bus but stopped in his tracks when he noticed a familiar black Audi parked outside of the school. He carefully made his way over, disguising his limp once more.

The driver rolled down the window as he approached.

"…Happy?"

"Get in."

"Umm… Is something wrong?"

"Just get in. I'll explain as we drive."

"Uh, okay?" The teen said, his voice laced with utter confusion as he slipped into the back seat.

"There's a mission." Happy stated.

Peter's face lit up in excitement. "A mission!? Seriously? What is it? What's going on? Wait, I don't have my suit… Should we go get it?"

"The boss has a suit ready for you."

"Actually!?"

"Yes, actually. Now please calm down kid, before you have a heart attack. Can't have you dying on my watch, I'd definitely lose my job."

"Well, what's the mission? What's going on? It must be serious if he needs my help."

"I don't know any of the details, kid. You're just going to have to wait until we get to the compound."

Peter sat impatiently in the back seat, as the two drove. He had so many questions to ask, but held his tongue not wanting to annoy the older man.

When they finally arrived, Peter jumped out of the vehicle completely forgetting about his ankle in his excitement. He stumbled, losing his balance. He thought fast, grabbing the door handle before he could hit the ground. Happy had stepped out of the car, his face showing an unfamiliar look of concern. Peter tried to play it cool, and stood back up slowly.

"My, uh… My legs fell asleep on the ride here."

"Uh-huh."

Happy started walking, and Peter followed closely behind, grateful that the man was in front of him and couldn't see the pained expression on his face.

Happy led the way inside the entrance to the compound, pointing towards the elevator. "Tony's upstairs in his lab, waiting for you."

"Thanks Happy." Peter walked towards the elevator, swiftly stepping inside. As soon as the doors closed he rolled up his jeans once more to inspect his ankle. It was swollen beyond belief, and a large bruise had also appeared on the surface of his skin.

 _Shit… How could he go on a mission when he could barely walk?_

The elevator reached his desired floor and he stepped out, once again masquerading his walk so that he looked normal and not like it felt like he was stepping on a bed of nails with every step he took.

He saw Tony in the lab talking to Dr. Banner, who was fully equipped in his lab coat. Peter would have been fangirling over the fact that his two greatest idols were standing together only feet in front of him if he wasn't in such an immense amount of pain.

When he stepped through the large glass doors, both men turned their attention towards the teen.

"Peter! I'm glad you could make it."

"Yeah, I'm here, Mr. Stark. It's good to see you, Dr. Banner."

"Nice to see you again, Peter. Last time I saw you, you were nearly dying of pneumonia. Glad to see you're feeling better."

"Well, considering that was 2 months ago, yes I am feeling a lot better."

Bruce smirked as Tony instructed for Peter to take a seat. He gratefully accepted, anxious to get the weight off his foot.

"So, uh… What do you need me for, Mr. Stark? What's the mission? Do you need me to take on Captain America again? Are all the Avengers coming here or-"

"Slow down kid!" Tony yelled. "Take a breath!"

Peter exhaled. "I'm sorry, Mr. Stark. It's just it was so unexpected for Happy to show up at my school- and he wouldn't tell me anything either."

"Well, I gave him strict instructions not to tell you why you were coming, because if he told you the truth you would've never come."

Peter furrowed his eyebrows. "Huh?"

Bruce spoke up. "There's no mission, Peter."

"What?" The teen asked with evident disappointment.

"Do you need to get your ears checked as well as your ankle? He said there's no mission."

Peter's face turned a dark shade of red. "Oh…"

"Yeah." Tony said, looking at the teen disapprovingly.

"How did you find out?"

"Your Aunt called me. She said you fell down the stairs, had to stop myself from laughing while I spoke to her. She also told me you refused to go to the hospital and wanted me to convince you otherwise. Instead I decided to give Bruce a call and have him check you out himself."

"Well that was very kind of you, Mr. Stark… But, my foot actually feels much better now!"

"Yeah… Can the bullshit, kid. You're getting an X-Ray done."

Peter looked down at his throbbing ankle. _Maybe getting it checked out wouldn't be the worst idea?_

"Alright, Mr. Stark."

Tony smiled and left the room only to come back seconds later with a wheelchair.

"That's really not necessary!" Peter cried.

"Either you get in the wheelchair or I'll carry you myself. You shouldn't be walking on it if it's broken."

Peter sighed and hobbled over to the chair, sitting down with a huff as Tony wheeled him down the hall to the X-ray room, with Bruce following closely behind.

"Well I have good news, Peter." Bruce said, reading the X-Ray results in his hands. "It's not broken, but you do have partial tearing of the ligament, a grade 2 sprain."

"See!? I told you it's not broken." Peter exclaimed.

"But that doesn't mean its fine! Let the nice doctor finish, Peter." Tony said with a roll of his eyes.

"I'm ordering for you to rest and ice your ankle until the swelling goes down. It'll heal even faster if you do this. If you walk around on it, it'll hurt worse, even with your abilities."

Peter nodded. "Alright. I think I can do that."

"Yeah, he will do that. I'll make sure of it. Thanks, Brucey." Tony said, whilst giving Peter a dirty look.

Bruce said a quick goodbye before walking out of the room.

Peter stood up from the examining table on which he was sitting, only to be grabbed by the arm and roughly forced to sit back down.

"What are you doing? Dr. Banner says not to walk around on it!"

"Well, I have school tomorrow… I have to get going."

"No… You're going to stay here tonight in the spare room. I don't trust you enough to stay still and rest up."

"But Mr. Stark-"

"No buts. I'll call May and then have her call your school."

"But-"

"Don't argue with me! I'm already disappointed that you lied to your Aunt Hottie saying you were fine, and then you lied to me. You're staying here tonight where I can keep an eye on you." Tony took an aggravated breath before continuing. "I can't believe you need a babysitter at fifteen-years-old."

"I'm sorry, Mr. Stark."

"Yeah, you better be. What were you thinking hiding that from us? Would you keep it a secret if you were stabbed or shot? Would you insist you were fine if you were bleeding to death?"

"I didn't want you to think I was weak."

Tony was taken aback. "What?"

"I just… I thought if you found out I hurt myself whilefalling down the stairs, you would think I'm too weak, or clumsy or whatever. I'm a superhero; I'm not supposed to get hurt in a normal way…"

"Oh, Peter." Tony wanted to hug the boy. Of course there was a deeper meaning to this rather than just simple teenage stubbornness.

"Peter, look at me. You're not weak. In fact, you're one of the strongest people I know. And not just physically, either. You've been through so much and yet you keep going on. I'm proud of you, kid."

Peter smiled up at him. "You are?"

"Yeah. I am."

"Thanks, Mr. Stark."

"No problem, kiddo. Now since you're confined to the couch to heal that ankle of yours I say we have a Netflix marathon. Have you ever watched _Supernatural_?"

Peter shook his head.

"Well then, you're in for a treat." Tony said, winking as he went to grab the wheelchair to bring the teen upstairs.

"Oh and one last thing." Tony began when he returned with the chair.

"Cut the ' ' crap, would you? Just call me Tony."


	3. Chapter 3

School had always been easy for Peter.

From finger-painting in kindergarten to solving complex equations in his advanced trigonometry class, Peter had always excelled in his work.

His aunt was proud of her genius of a nephew as well. She framed and hung each and every one of his "student-of-the-month" certificates on the walls in their living room so that whatever company they had would be able to notice Peter's accomplishments.

Even in Peter's "weakest" subject, English, he still had a grade in the low-nineties, displaying that even in the courses he found difficult he still shined.

Of course, things always had to go wrong for Peter, just with that typical "Parker luck".

His teacher, Ms. Carrigan had assigned everyone to read the first three chapters of _The Great Gatsby_ over the course of the weekend.

And Peter had planned to, he really did.

But things don't always work out the way he wants them to.

On Friday night he had plans with Ned. Plans that could not be cancelled as they had been organizing the event for weeks now. They were having a _Star Wars_ marathon and ordering pizza, and obviously an occasion like that could not be abandoned.

On Saturday he had agreed to help May with some errands. She bought a new barcalounger for the apartment, and Peter promised he would help her move it upstairs (an easy task for him, given his superb strength). Saturday evening he went out on patrol, which ended up being uncharacteristically event-free. He could've been home for eleven, but ended up falling asleep on the ledge of a roof while stargazing and enjoying the beautiful night's weather.

It was three in the morning when Karen's piercing voice woke him out of his comfort.

"Incoming call from Tony Stark."

Peter was lucky he didn't fall off the roof during his startle.

"Ignore the call, Karen!"

"Sorry Peter, I can't do that since you are out past curfew. Answering call."

Peter rolled his eyes as he prepared for Tony's anger.

The yelling began. "Kid, want to tell me what you are doing out in your suit at 3 a.m.? I thought we agreed on a midnight curfew. You better explain yourself."

Peter had already began swinging back home, before Tony could send a suit over to personally carry him back to his apartment. "I'm sorry Tony, I uh… I fell asleep!"

Peter could hear the confusion seeping through the man's voice on the other line. "You fell asleep? Do I dare ask where…? And how?"

"Just on a roof… It was so nice out and I was tired… I'm really sorry; I'm heading home now though I promise!"

"Your ass better be home in five minutes or… No TV for a week? I don't know what an acceptable punishment for this situation is, but go home right now, Parker."

Tony ended the call before Peter could respond.

He snuck back into his room through the window, as per usual whilst praying that May was asleep. He told her that he was going to a party and that he'd be out late. Hopefully, she wouldn't ask questions the next day.

Climbing into bed and letting sleep take over his body for the second time that night, he completely forgot about his required readings.

He awoke the next morning to the smell of eggs, alerting him to his growling stomach.

He jumped out of bed, making his way towards the kitchen.

"Well good morning, sleeping beauty. It's nearly noon, just so you know."

"Morning, May." He greeted, stifling a yawn.

"Late night?" She asked.

"Yeah…"

"Hungover?"

"What!? No!" He shouted, defensively.

May furrowed her eyebrows. "Well I went to sleep at 1 in the morning and you still weren't home, so I could only assume that you were out experimenting with different types of mixed drinks."

"Well, you assumed wrong. I was actually very responsible last night." Peter smirked.

"Uh-huh." May nodded as she passed her nephew a plate full of eggs and toast.

"Eat up. Food will help that hangover go away!"

"May!"

She laughed while grabbing her jacket. "Listen, I have to go into work. One of the other girls called in sick."

"That sucks."

"Tell me about it. So anyways, be good. No parties while I'm gone, okay? Love you."

"Love you, May." Peter said in between mouthfuls of eggs.

"You'd have better luck finding a girlfriend if you chewed with your mouth closed, by the way." His aunt said with a wink as she shut the door behind her.

Peter rolled his eyes as he finished his brunch and put his place in the dishwasher. He then made his way towards the living room couch, turning Netflix on the TV. He decided on watching an episode of _Star Trek: The Next Generation._ Of course, one episode turned into many and before he knew it, it was evening.

"Crap. I have to read those chapters…" The teen muttered to himself as he got up from the couch and walked over to his bedroom to grab his book.

As he was rummaging through his backpack, his phone rang. The call display indicated that it was his aunt and he quickly answered it.

"Hey May, what's up?"

"Peter, honey I just wanted to make sure you're alright!"

"Yeah May, I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?" He questioned.

"Oh you didn't hear?"

"Hear what?"

"I just heard on the news that there's a hostage situation at the bank around the block from us! Promise me you'll stay safe and remain indoors?"

"I promise!" He lied. As soon as she mentioned the word 'hostage' he had already began changing into his suit.

"Okay sweetie. I'll try and come home soon."

Peter murmured a quick goodbye as he hung up the phone and made his way towards the bank that his aunt had mentioned.

When he arrived, it was apparent that the police had already been notified of the situation as 4 cop cars as well as a fire truck and an ambulance were all stationed in front of the building.

Without hesitating, Peter, currently in his guise as Spider-Man ran forward to assess the danger. His heart pounded in a mixture of nervousness and excitement.

He approached a burly-looking cop who was throwing demands around to the other officers. Peter lowered his voice before speaking to the man in an attempt to make himself sound older.

"Officer! Hi, I'm here to help! What can I do?"

The police officer gave him a confused look before turning away. "Somebody get this kid out of here and bring him back to the Comic Con! I thought I ordered a perimeter to be set up!"

"Wait, no sir-"Peter started before being interrupted by the sound of gunshots followed by a flurry of screaming.

He quickly pushed past the crowd of police officers and ran into the building. What he saw was horrifying, to say the least. Three masked men armed with guns faced a roomful of civilians, who looked beyond terrified. One man was sprawled on the floor, alive but bleeding heavily with an obvious gunshot wound in his left thigh.

"Hey! Don't you know you can get life in prison for armed robbery?" Spider-Man shouted as the men turned around.

"Who the hell is this punk?" One of them asked as the other two ran towards him. Two of them weren't particularly tough, and Peter took them down relatively easily, quickly grabbing the guns with his webs. The third however wasn't going down without a fight- and that's exactly what Peter gave him, one hell of a fight.

"C'mon buddy I have school tomorrow!" Peter joked, before being thrown off balance by the butt of the man's gun making contact with his right eye.

Peter quickly sprang back up, wincing at the pain and tackled the man to the ground, webbing him up so that he wouldn't move.

"Fellas, this has been fun, but I really have to be going now! I'll leave it to the officers to read you your rights." He said, sneaking out as officers began pouring into the building.

Peter smiled as he heard a chorus of "Thank you Spider-Man!" echoing from behind him.

He changed behind a dumpster, careful to look around first and making sure he couldn't be seen. He bundled the suit up as he scaled the side of his building, tossing it through the window first before climbing in himself. He tossed the suit under his bed, a place where May never checked.

Speaking of May, Peter was suddenly aware of pounding footsteps making their way towards his bedroom door.

"Peter Benjamin Parker! Where have you been? Did you sneak back in using the fire escape again? Do you know how dangerous that is!? You could've slipped!" She threw the door open, her face red with anger.

"I thought I told you to stay inside! Do you know how worried I was-"She cut herself off as she examined her nephew, her angry expression quickly turning into one of worry.

"Oh my god! What happened to your eye?"

Peter quickly glanced at his reflection on the black computer screen on the desk beside him, taking notice of the forming bruise.

"I… I hit my head on a metal pole…" He stuttered.

"Are you alright? Let me get you some ice. I'll be right back!" She returned with an ice pack that Peter gratefully accepted, placing it to his throbbing eye.

"Now are you going to tell me where you've been?"

"Um-"

"And don't lie to me, Peter."

"Uh- I snuck out to go and visit Ned… His mom just got him _The Force Awakens_ on Blu-ray… I couldn't resist May, I'm sorry."

May furrowed her eyebrows, unsure of whether or not to believe the teen. "Well, I'm glad you're safe, but as punishment for disobeying me, I'm grounding you for the week. You're only to go to school and back. No hanging out with friends. If you sneak out again, I'm taking your phone and computer away, understand?"

Peter nodded. "Understood."

May smiled."Alright. I love you, honey. Are you hungry? Want me to get you some dinner?"

Peter shook his head. "Nah, I think I'm just going to go to bed, I'm kind of tired."

"Alright, goodnight sweetheart."

"Night, May."

He was out like a light before his head even hit the pillow.

He found himself sitting in English class the next morning, still feeling tired despite the full night's sleep he got.

Michelle nudged him to gather his attention. "Did you do the readings?"

"What readings?"

Michelle cocked her left eyebrow. "The first 3 chapters of Gatsby? You didn't read them? I think we're having a quiz on them… And what happened to your eye?"

Peter didn't hear the last part of her question as he mentally cursed.

 _Oh shit._

 _He had completely forgotten about the homework._

And surely enough Ms. Carrigan cleared her throat at the front of the room before beginning her speech. "Alright class, please put your books and phones away. I'll be handing out the quizzes now, hope you all did your assigned readings!"

 _Crap._

Peter tried to focus on the paper in front of him, trying to form some sort of answer to the questions, but his mind was blank. He didn't know anything, and that was a first for him.

The questions made no sense:

1\. How does Myrtle react to Tom's arrival? _Who the hell was Myrtle?_

Peter shook his head as he scribbled down nonsense, while leaving other questions completely blank. After 20 minutes passed the class was asked to put down their pencils and pass their tests to the front. He had never been so anxious to get out of class.

He heard Michelle shouting from behind him, but ignored her as he ran to the bathroom, on the verge of tears. Grades had always been so important to him. His intelligence was the one thing he could actually show off to the world as plain old Peter Parker, and not as Spider-Man.

His watery eyes blurred as he made his way into the hallway, only to bump into Michelle.

"What, are you stalking me or something?"

"Not _stalking_ just _following_. Anyways, you forgot your textbook. I thought I'd bring it to you." She said, placing the book in his hands.

"Oh… Thanks. That was uncharacteristically kind of you."

"Yeah. Don't get used to it. Hey, are you okay? Your eyes are red and watery."

"Jeez Michelle, is that concern I'm detecting?"

"It might be. I am a human complete with human emotions. But seriously, what's up?"

Peter shrugged. "It's nothing."

"Does it have something to do with the fact that you failed our English quiz this morning?"

Peter was taken aback. "How did you-"

"I happened to sneak a peek at some of your answers. Judging by some of the stuff you wrote, I'm guessing you didn't read the book yet, did you?"

Peter sighed. "No."

"That's not like you. Aren't you supposed to be a nerd or something? I thought nerds did their homework."

"I screwed up, that's all. I got super busy this weekend helping out my aunt and stuff and the readings completely slipped my mind."

"I can tell you were busy, judging by that shiner of yours. Were you out fighting crime or something?"

Peter's face paled.

Michelle smirked. "I'm just messing with you, but seriously- I'm going to give you some advice. And I want you to listen to it because I never repeat myself. You need to start putting yourself first sometimes, and worry about other people's needs second. That's your biggest flaw, Parker. You waste no time in helping out your friends, but you never stop to think that maybe you're the one in need of help. So sleep on that tonight."

Peter studied the girl, unsure of where this profound speech was coming from. "That was… deep, Michelle. Thanks."

"Yeah, well, like I said that was some one-time advice. Don't come crawling back to me the next time you're struggling with your math homework or something because like I just said, I take the time to worry about my own problems first."

Peter smiled. "You're a good friend."

"Ew, okay, gross. Don't ever call me that again. I don't have friends, just people I occasionally converse with and borrow money from."

The other teen walked away as Peter just smirked.

 _He was going to be alright._

 _And he had enough friends to make sure of that._


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N- This chapter deals with panic attacks and anxiety so if this may be a trigger please don't read. Also this is a personal topic to me as someone who struggles with mental illness, so please be kind.**

The first time it happened was at school.

It was a Tuesday.

It was lunchtime and Peter had been sitting with Ned and Michelle. He was eating an egg salad sandwich that May had packed for him inside a little brown paper bag along with a juice box and a couple of Oreos. It was a kind gesture, but it did make him feel like a child. Even Michelle commented on it.

"What are you, five?"

Ned snorted and Peter's cheeks turned red.

"She's overprotective. Sometimes I don't think she realizes I'm actually a teenager now."

This was true. She had always been overprotective. Ever since she and his uncle had taken him in at the young age of four-years-old. Maybe she had never forgotten that first lunch she packed for him on that first day of kindergarten.

It was hard for her, that first year. It was hard for Peter and Uncle Ben as well. They weren't parents. They didn't know how to raise a child. Of course they were loving and caring and always put Peter's needs before themselves, but they were still learning. They were learning how to be parents to a nephew that they before only had to babysit for a night or two while his parents were out of town.

Only this time, they never came back.

And it wasn't soon after that they got the call about the deaths of Richard and Mary Parker. Suddenly, Peter's temporary stay became permanent and May and Ben had to learn to fit the role of legal guardians.

Peter remembered his first day of school. His aunt was frazzled. She was trying very hard to have everything perfect for her young nephew, but it was by no doubt difficult. Peter had only been living with his aunt and uncle for about a year. Everything was new to them.

School was new, toys were new, pediatricians were new… Everything that came with raising a child was brand new.

And they were doing their best, but they knew they weren't perfect.

May was running around the kitchen that morning trying to get everything in order for Peter's first day of school. On the counter was the supplies needed to make a ham and cheese sandwich as May stood over them, a knife in hand. She was muttering to herself as Ben stood beside her offering a coffee to his stressed-out wife.

"I'm fine. I don't want it."

"I know you didn't sleep well last night and you have to work a double today, please just drink it."

"No, Ben it's fine. Please just go help Peter get ready for school."

"May-"

"Ben! Please." She snapped in a tone much harsher than she had anticipated.

Ben sighed as he made his way towards his nephew.

"Ready for school, sport?" He asked.

"Yes sir!" Peter beamed. _He had been excited._

"Alright… Where's your backpack?"

"In my room!"

"Well hurry and go and get it! You don't want to be late!"

Peter remembered his younger self eagerly running towards his tiny bedroom to grab his _Star Wars_ bag. Even his room was still far from being ready. It had originally been Uncle Ben's office that they suddenly had to turn into a room fit for a 5-year-old. They had to buy a bed, a dresser, clothes and decorations so that Peter had a suitable place to sleep… and live. _They really did change their whole way of life in order to care for him._

His memory began to fade with one last thought as he remembered 5-year-old him excitedly leaving his room, backpack in hand ready to start his first day of school when the sound of his aunt crying stopped him in his tracks.

"I don't know what I'm doing Ben, I just don't know. I'm trying my best, but I'm not a mother! I have no idea if what I'm doing is right! I just want him to be happy."

He registered the thought of his uncle hugging his aunt, comfortingly rubbing her back. "We'll be fine… We'll be fine…"

His memory ended and he barely heard the sound of Flash laughing at him from the table across.

"Are you crying Penis Parker?"

And yes, oh god, he was.

Not only were there evident tears plastered onto his cheeks, but there was a distinctive lump in his throat and his chest felt tight. _Was he having a heart attack?_

Ned leaned forward, his face in an expression of concern. "Dude, are you okay?"

Peter didn't say anything; instead he got up and left the room, heading towards the bathroom as fast as he possibly could leaving behind a very confused Ned and Michelle.

As soon as he made it to his desired location, he locked himself in the bathroom stall. It was empty and he was thankful for the solitude.

He was experiencing something he had never felt before.

His heart was hammering in his chest.

His vision was blurry.

His mind was racing.

 _He couldn't breathe._

In a panic, he pulled out his phone quickly finding May's familiar contact info and hitting the dial button. It took a couple of rings before she picked up.

"Peter? Honey I can't talk right now, I'm at work. Why are you calling? Aren't you in class?"

Peter could barely get his words out. "May- I-I."

"Can we talk later? I really need to get back to work."

"I need you to come pick me up." He heaved a sigh, spilling the words out in one breath.

There was silence on the other end before she spoke.

"What? What's wrong?"

"I don't feel well... I-I don't know what's wrong, May. Please…"

"Okay… Okay honey. Let me speak to my supervisor, I'll see if I can take my lunch early. I'll text you when I'm on my way."

Peter hung up the phone and leaned his head against the stall door. He closed his eyes and focused on his breathing, trying to take in deep breaths and focus on not passing out. It felt like forever before his phone alerted him of a text from his aunt.

 _ **May: I'm out front. Called the office saying I was signing you out for an appointment.**_

Peter sighed in relief and quickly made his way out into the hall and rushed outside. He was feeling a little bit better, he could actually breathe again, but he was anxious to get out of that place. He saw the car parked out front and made a beeline for the familiar vehicle.

May began speaking before he was even in the car.

"Are you okay? You never call me from school, I was scared to death! What's wrong? You said you weren't feeling well."

Suddenly there was a hand on his forehead.

"You don't feel warm…"

"No, I think I overreacted… Sorry for making you worry. I just had a stomach ache…"

May raised an eyebrow. "A stomach ache?"

Peter frowned because he really didn't know what to tell her. He had no idea what he just experienced. "I think I just need to go home and rest for a bit…"

May nodded. "Okay… Alright. I'll take you home. I have to get back to work though, will you be okay?"

"I think so."

And so May drove him home, dropping him off in front of their apartment, but not before making sure he was okay once more. After Peter insisted he was and waved goodbye he ran upstairs and threw himself on his bed, wrapping himself up in the covers, the warmth giving him comfort from whatever had just happened.

That was the first time Peter experienced a panic attack.

The second time it happened was when he was out on what was supposed to be an average run-of-the-mill patrol. It was a Monday evening and he wasn't expecting it to be busy.

In fact, it had been pretty quiet all night. He helped an old lady cross the street, rescued a little girl's cat from a tree and helped a guy find his stolen bike.

Yeah, so it was a pretty typical evening.

Typical up until he heard the sound of several screams erupting from somewhere close by. It only took a matter of seconds for Spider-Man to arrive on scene.

And the minute he got there, he wished he hadn't.

What he saw in front of him was an all-too familiar sight.

In the middle of the sidewalk was a middle-aged man, sprawled out on the ground and bleeding heavily.

Peter gulped, his mind racing at how recognizable the situation seemed.

Beside the man was a teenage boy, not much older than himself, crying and screaming for help.

"My father! He's been stabbed! Help! Somebody please! Call 911!"

The feeling was returning. Once again, he couldn't breathe. He couldn't think… His chest was feeling tight. He felt nauseous.

He was aware of several pairs of eyes watching him, people probably wondering if he- Spider-Man- could do anything. But there was nothing he could do right now because all he could think about was his uncle and how he had died in a similar way just about a year prior.

So he ran.

Peter ran.

Spider-Man ran.

This was probably going to look bad in the future media. " _Spider-Man refuses to help dying man."_

Of course that wasn't true. He wanted so desperately to help, but something was physically and mentally stopping him.

He soon found himself in an alley, leaning against the brick wall of some abandoned building. Memories of his Uncle's death flooded his brain. His heart was once again pounding in his chest. Hard.

Too hard.

It was almost painful.

Breathing was becoming increasingly difficult.

He closed his eyes in an attempt to shut the world off around him.

He barely heard Karen's voice in his ear.

"-eter."

 _Ben…_

"Peter."

 _He didn't do anything to help that man… Just like he couldn't help his uncle."_

"Peter!" That was a different voice. It wasn't Karen's. It belonged to a man.

He cracked open an eye to see Tony's face staring back at him from inside the mask.

"Peter, kid… What the hell? Your suit's AI told me you were in distress. What's going on? Did you get hurt on patrol?"

Peter's attempt to reply turned into a choked sob.

"Peter, tell me where you are. Actually, never mind, I'll just track your location. I'm going to have Happy drive me there. I'll be there soon, just sit tight, okay?"

Peter didn't respond as Tony cut the call.

He logically knew that it couldn't have been that long before the fancy, expensive black car pulled up, yet it felt like hours. He was aware of another presence crouching in front of him, urging him to breathe. He felt the older man pull his mask away from his face.

"Peter, put your head between your legs."

The words sounded like gibberish, but he managed to understand them and did as he was told. The dizziness he had been feeling subsided within seconds.

"I need you to take deep breaths with me now, okay? In… one two three, and out… one two three."

Peter felt himself breathing in sync with whoever was beside him. The exaggerated breaths seemed to be helping him and after a couple of minutes, he began to feel normal again. His head rose up and he saw Tony kneeling beside him, with Happy standing only a few feet away.

"Are you with me now?" Tony asked.

Peter nodded.

"Good. You scared me, kid. Do you think you can get up?"

Peter nodded again as he felt strong arms wrap around his shoulder, yanking him up from the ground. He would've toppled over if it wasn't for Tony's grip. "Easy kid, I gotcha."

Tony guided the way towards the car, making sure the teen got inside safe and secure. Once he ensured Peter was buckled in, he made his way to the passenger seat whilst telling Happy to start driving.

"We're going to take you back to your apartment, okay?"

Peter frowned. "I'm wearing the suit… I don't want my neighbors can't see me."

Tony smirked. "You're lucky I think ahead, kid." He said while throwing the teen a pair of sweatpants and a hoodie. "Put those on over your suit."

Peter complied and quickly changed as Tony stared at him from the rear-view mirror, obvious concern masked on his face.

It didn't take long before they arrived to Peter's building. His hand reached for the handle before being cut off by Tony.

"No, don't you even think about it. We're going to have a nice long talk, you and I."

Peter's face lit up in shock. "What!?"

"You heard me. Happy's going to wait down here in the car, and we're going upstairs."

" - That's not necessary."

"Oh, but I think it is. Is your aunt home?"

"No, she's working late tonight."

"Okay, that's fine. I guess it'd be pretty weird if I just showed up unannounced anyways… again. Alright let's get moving. It's a school night." Tony said as he gestured for Peter to move. The teen exited the car and made his way up the stairs, followed closely behind by the older man. As soon as they reached his floor he pulled out his keys, letting himself into the tiny apartment.

"Uh… You can sit anywhere, I guess."

Tony nodded, deciding to take a seat at the kitchen counter. Peter sat across from him, avoiding all eye contact.

"So," Tony began. "Want to explain to me what happened tonight?"

Peter shrugged. "I really don't know."

Tony nodded. "Just tell me how you felt."

"I don't even know how to explain it… It just happened so suddenly. I thought I was having a heart attack or something."

"Is this the first time this happened?" Tony prodded.

Peter shook his head. "Second."

Tony paused before speaking again. "Look kid, I'm not a psychiatrist or anything, but it seemed to me like you were experiencing a panic attack."

Peter furrowed his eyebrows. "What? No-"

"It's nothing to be ashamed of."

"It wasn't a panic attack, Mr. Stark."

"Peter-"

"I'm fine! I don't have anxiety or anything! I'm normal and I'm healthy."

"Kid, look. Having anxiety doesn't make you abnormal… I have anxiety. Did you know that? I get panic attacks sometimes."

Peter looked up at the man. "You do?"

Tony nodded. "Yes. And I'm not afraid to admit it. Peter, I know you said this is only the second time this has happened, but you should tackle the problem now before it gets worse. I think you need to talk to someone. And by someone I mean a professional, a therapist."

"I don't need to go to a therapist."

"Well, you're old enough to make your own decisions, but I think you should."

"The therapist won't help me with anything. I already know what caused me to… panic."

Tony raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

Peter sighed. "You know about my uncle, right?"

Tony nodded. "Yes. He was shot right? A year ago?"

"Yeah. There's not a day that goes by where I don't miss him… And it seems that every time I'm reminded that he's no longer here, I experience the 'panic'. I don't know, it's been a year… I should be over it, but I'm not. I'm really not. I feel responsible for what happened. I think that it's my fault, and it really hurts to carry around this guilt with me all the time."

Peter stopped talking as he felt his eyes fill with tears.

"Oh kid…" Tony reached over to touch Peter's hand. "Have you talked to your aunt about this?"

"No. I can't talk to her about that. She puts on a smile every day, but I know she's hurting inside just as much as I am."

He couldn't help the tears that made their way down his cheeks.

Tony made his way around the table. "I hope this isn't weird, but I'm going to hug you right now."

It wasn't weird.

Peter felt comforted as the man that he's come to think of as a father wrapped his arms around him.

He felt protected.

He wasn't alone.

Tony pulled away before speaking again. "Do you think you can consider seeing a therapist? Maybe? I have several connections; I can set up an appointment. I know you don't want to, but I think it would help. Trust me; I don't think I'd be here right now if I didn't admit to myself that I was struggling."

Peter thought about it before giving the man an answer. "I guess I can try…"

Tony beamed. "That's great, kid. And it's no rush. You can call me anytime when you think you're ready, okay?"

The teen nodded. "Alright."

"Okay. Are you going to be okay here by yourself? Do you want me to stay with you until your aunt gets home?"

"No, I'll be fine."

"Okay, kiddo. You always have me to talk to if you need it, but that being said, I'm not a psychiatrist so I can only do so much."

"I understand, Mr. Stark."

"Right then, Mr. Parker. I'll be on my way."

Peter's face reddened. "Oh god."

"What?"

"Now I know why you keep telling me to call you Tony."

"Huh?"

" _Mr. Parker_ makes me feel old."

Tony laughed. "Now you get it. Goodnight, Peter."

"Night, Tony." He smiled as the man shut the door.

And despite the emptiness of the apartment, for the first time in a while he felt like he wasn't alone.


	5. Chapter 5

**Trigger Warning! This chapter contains a suicide attempt (though it's not from one of the main characters, it can still be a bit touchy to some people). Please don't read if this issue may be a trigger for you.**

* * *

It was a pretty average night of patrolling.

Wednesday nights were often not busy at all.

The occasional problems Peter would run into on a school night were people needing help with flat tires or finding their lost puppies. Not exactly tasks expected for a superhero.

He had just been performing the cliché act of helping an old lady cross the street when he heard it.

A scream.

A scream that erupted from just down the block.

After excusing himself from the lady he ran towards the sound to see what the commotion was.

He approached the fast-forming crowd of people who all seemed to be staring up at the large brown apartment building in front of them.

Peter followed their gaze only to gasp in shock at the sight.

There was a woman, probably not much older than himself standing on the ledge, threatening to jump.

"Oh my god!"

"Someone call 911!"

People were shouting and Peter was panicking.

 _He had to get up there._

Without waiting another minute, he scaled the side of the building going as quick as he possibly can. It was probably the fastest he had ever moved in his short time as Spider-Man.

He made it to the roof in record time, almost panting as he locked eyes with the girl.

"Who are you? Don't come near me!"

Peter put his arms up in a surrender motion.

"I'm here to help."

Tears were falling from the brunette's red, puffy eyes. "You don't know me. You can't help."

Peter stepped forward. "Yes! Yes, I can! Please… Just tell me why you're doing this."

The woman scoffed. "You think I'm going to treat some kid in pajamas as my therapist?"

Peter fought the urge to reply sarcastically. "You don't have to tell me anything you don't want to… I just want to help you out here… Get you off that ledge."

His heart was hammering. "Just tell me about yourself… How old are you? What's your name?"

"This isn't speed dating, kid. Just leave me alone, please. Just let me do this."

"Look, miss. I just don't want to see you do anything you'll regret."

The girl sighed. "My name's Mandy. I'm 26."

"Hi Mandy, I'm P- "

He paused.

"Peter…"

"Great now that we've met, can you leave me alone?" She asked.

"I can't do that. I'm staying here."

Mandy laughed. "Wish it was my fiancé who said that."

"What do you mean?" Peter said, gradually moving closer.

"He left me. He said he couldn't stay with me any longer."

"So that's why you're up here?"

"No, it's more complicated than that."

"How so?"

"Why do you care?"

"I just want to listen…"

The girl opened her mouth to speak before the sound of sirens came from below them. Peter glanced over his shoulder to see police cars, firetrucks, ambulances as well as several news trucks appearing on scene.

"Great. Now Jeff's going to see the news about his suicidal ex-fiancée… He'll think I'm crazier than I already was."

"Look you don't have to worry about him finding out about this… If he left you he's probably a jerk anyways right?"

She shook her head. "No. No, he wasn't a jerk. He was the love of my life. I was the one who drove him out."

More tears escaped her eyes. "Everything was my fault. We've been engaged for 2 years. We were planning on getting married as soon as we had the money for it. But then I got pregnant. We had to hold off. And then I miscarried, and we were both so heartbroken. My psychiatrist put me on anti-depressants, but it didn't help. Nothing helped. I couldn't leave the house, I lost my job and Jeff… He got fed up. So, he left. Everything's just been a downward spiral and I want to end it before life gets any worse for me."

Peter didn't know how to respond to that. That poor girl has just had it so hard.

"I'm so sorry to hear that…"

"Yeah. Well. Unfortunately, a lot of people have been feeling sorry for me lately." She looked down at the ground. "I want to stop feeling sorry for myself…"

Peter reached his hand out, ready to shoot a web, sticking her arm to the ledge she was gripping, her hands quivering. But he just wanted for her to trust him. "Mandy… Please just come with me."

"I'm sorry Peter. Thanks for trying."

She let go.

And Peter froze.

Spider-Man froze.

A million thoughts rushed through his head as he heard the people screaming below.

 _Oh God… He didn't save her._

 _He could've shot a web, or just ran and grabbed her, but no his stupid mind told him to just talk to her. Superheroes don't talk, they save._

 _Oh God, this was going to be all over the news. "Spider-Man fails to save suicidal woman…"_

He had to get out of here before the police showed up.

He had to run away.

Far away…

And that's exactly what he did- Peter ran.

He ran into the building, running down the stairs 2 steps at a time, running out the back door and into the alley. He quickly shed his Spider-Man suit, webbing it to the nearest dumpster. He realized it was irresponsible- leaving a multi-million dollar suit out in the open for anyone to take, but he just had to get out of there.

He didn't know where he was going, so he just ran.

He ran until he found himself in front of a bus terminal.

Without thinking he stepped inside, staring up at the large television screens displaying the list of buses scheduled to be departing soon.

 _Philadelphia._

The words just stood out to him. It wasn't a long ride.

He didn't have anything with him. No luggage. Just the sweatpants and hoodie that he wore underneath his suit.

But he had to get out of there. He wasn't a hero. New York didn't need him anymore.

He walked up to the ticket stand.

"How can I help you?" The man behind the desk asked.

"One ticket for the next bus to Philadelphia."

The man eyed him up and down, scrutinizing him. "You look kinda young. How old are you?"

"18." Peter lied.

"Uh-huh. Sure kid. That'll be 22 dollars."

Peter took the wad of crumpled one and five-dollar bills, barely making enough change. All he had on him was the money he was planning on buying dinner with. The man rolled his eyes as Peter dumped the change on his desk. The greying man printed out a ticket and handed it to the teen.

"Have a nice trip." He said, almost sarcastically.

Peter nodded, walking towards the bus

 _New York didn't need Spider-Man._

* * *

Happy had just gotten back into the car after a very stressful meeting, and he honestly wasn't quite sure what the content was about.

He just wanted to get home and have a strong drink.

 _God his job was so stressful…_

For once in his life, he sat in the back seat of the spacious car, telling the driver to take him home.

Tonight, was the little bit of rest he could get before yet another early day again tomorrow. He could have a nice bubble bath-

His thoughts were interrupted by the driver's voice suddenly breaking the silence of the car. "Sorry to bother you, but don't you work for that Spide-Man guy?"

Happy rolled his eyes. "No, I don't work for him. But yes, I do work _with_ him from time to time."

"Yeah, well did you hear the news this evening?"

Happy raised his eyebrows. "No?"

"Apparently Spidey was trying to talk some girl out of committing suicide, but I guess she jumped. He didn't save her. Can't believe you didn't hear about it. Everyone's been talking. And I guess he just fled the scene. No one knows where he is."

Happy felt his heart sink.

"When was this?"

"Uh, I don't know. Couple hours ago, maybe?"

Happy quickly pulled out his phone. "Look, I need you to take a detour. Take me here instead." He said, quickly giving him a card with the address to the compound on it. "And step on it, will ya?"

"Yes sir." The driver nodded.

Happy dialed the familiar number on his phone and placed it to his ear, anxious as each ring went by.

Finally, a voice picked up on the other end. "Hello?"

"Tony, it's the kid. We need to talk. I'm on my way to the compound."

* * *

"I don't understand. Why wouldn't he call me? And why would he just run away?" Tony was pacing back and forth, his forehead creased with worry.

"I don't know, boss. I know just as much as you do."

"And nobody's heard from him at all? Have you called his aunt?"

"Yes, I did on the way here. She said he's an hour late for his curfew. She's sick with worry."

Tony sighed. "It wasn't his fault. I hope he knows that. That kid puts so much weight on his shoulders. I don't know how he handles it all. We need to find him, Hap. I don't want him being alone right now, he's probably beyond upset. Have you heard anything from the hospital? About the girl?"

Happy shook his head. "All I've heard is that she survived the fall and was rushed into surgery. I've asked for updates."

Tony nodded. "Good." He made his way across the room rubbing his forming headache. "F.R.I.D.A.Y?"

The robotic female voice didn't hesitate in replying. "Yes, Mr. Stark?"

"I need you to be watching all security camera footage… across the country I guess. Who knows where that kid wandered off to. If you find anybody that looks even remotely similar to Peter Parker, you notify me right away."

"Of course."

"Thanks, Fri."

Tony sat down on the nearest chair, afraid that he wouldn't be able to stand up much longer.

"This kid's gonna be the death of me someday…"

* * *

Peter was wandering around the city.

Lost.

Alone.

As soon as the bus had pulled up Peter's heart dropped heavily.

 _What the hell had he done?_

He had no idea where he was or what he was doing, so he just walked. He noticed the people staring. They were staring at the messy teenager walking around in sweatpants. They probably thought he was homeless.

He was starving, and he didn't have money for food.

He was dirty, but didn't have a place to shower.

He was exhausted, but had nowhere to lay down.

This was the choice he made for running away.

Then again, he didn't really have a choice. He couldn't save that girl… Mandy. He froze. He was a hero, and he froze. Heroes don't freeze.

But heroes don't run away either.

Peter was thankful for the bench not 5 feet away from him as he began to feel dizzy from the deadly combination of travelling with an empty stomach and lack of sleep.

He put his head between his knees as he attempted to take deep breaths, clearing his head from the racing thoughts.

"Are you okay there, honey?" Peter's head popped up at the unfamiliar voice. It belonged to a king-looking lady, probably around Aunt May's age.

"I'm fine." Peter answered, his voice cracking in protest of his lies.

"Sweetie, I've got 3 boys of my own at home- and my middle one looks to be about your age- so I can tell what a lie is."

Peter attempted to stand up, but his legs wobbled as his body forced him to sit back down on the uncomfortable bench. "Ma'am really, I'm fine."

"Just stay seated honey, you look like you're about to keel over. Can I get you something to eat? Or drink?"

Peter shook his head. "I'm not hungry."

The woman frowned. "That's another lie right there. Look, hon. I'm not leaving until I'm sure you're taken care of. If someone saw one of my boys out here like this, I'd hope that some kind stranger would be willing to help them out too. So, what can I get for you? Do you need money?"

Peter swallowed hard, fighting the urge to just plain out tell the woman that he needed help, he needed someone to talk to.

"A-Actually… Do you have a cell phone I can borrow?"

* * *

It took less time for Tony and Happy to get there than the bus.

Peter was standing outside of a coffee shop that the nice woman had driven him to. She wouldn't let him out of his sight until she got confirmation from Tony Stark himself that he was on his way.

Tony jumped out of the car before Happy even brought it to a complete stop.

"Peter!?"

He nodded and began making his way towards the older man. He braced himself to be screamed at, but wasn't expecting it when he suddenly found himself in a hug.

"God kid, I was so worried."

Peter's face paled. _He wasn't angry?_

"You were?"

Tony pulled back, looking over the trembling teen. "Of course I was! And Happy was too… And your aunt- You are going to have so much explaining to do for her, by the way. God, how could you do this to me? Run away to freaking Philadelphia of all places! A whole other state? I was out of my mind with worry! I thought you were kidnapped… Or dead- God Peter, I thought you were dead!"

Peter looked down at the ground, his face turning red.

"I'm sorry."

"Never mind the apologies right now, I just want to make sure you're okay! Are you hurt? Nobody hurt you? Are you feeling alright?"

Peter nodded, feeling overwhelmed by the amount of questions and concern coming from the other man.

"I'm fine. Nobody hurt me."

Tony breathed a sigh of relief. "Let's… Let's just get in the car okay? Get you home? We'll talk on the way there."

Peter nodded as a gentle hand clasped onto his shoulder, guiding him towards the expensive vehicle. Tony let Peter get in first before making his way around the other side.

"Good to see you, kid. You feeling okay?" Happy asked from the front seat.

"Yes, I'm fine."

Happy turned his attention to the road as Tony buckled in.

"So would you like to enlighten me on why you decided to run off to Philadelphia?"

"Tony- "Happy warned from the front seat. "Take it easy on him."

Tony nodded. "Kid- You can't scare people like this. Me, Happy, your aunt. We didn't know where you were, or what happened to you. Whatever the problem is Peter, you don't run away from it! You have so many people to talk to."

"You don't understand- "Peter began.

"I know what happened, kid."

He was taken aback.

"Y-You do?"

"Happy found out and told me."

"Oh."

"Peter- "

"I don't want to talk about it."

"That's not an option. Look, what happened was not your fault. I hope you don't think that."

"It was my fault though. I shouldn't have tried so hard talking to her, I just should've pulled her to safety. It was my fault she died- "

"Peter- "

"That's why I ran away. And I'm so sorry that I did, but I just thought that everybody would look as Spider-Man as a failure now, not as a hero. I couldn't handle that. I don't know what I was thinking, why didn't I just grab her? I'm so stupid- "

"Peter, shut up for a minute." The teen looked up at Tony's face, his eyes threatening to expel a river of tears.

"First of all, you're not stupid. You did what you thought was right. You wanted to gain her trust. Who knows what could've happened if you just walked out and tried to grab her? She could've still jumped, or fallen… You did nothing wrong, and I guarantee that nobody thinks any less of you. You're a hero for going up there in the first place and trying to talk to her. She'll remember what you did for her and she'll use the fact that you cared in her recovery."

Peter's eyes went wide. "R-Recovery?"

Tony smiled. "Yeah kid. She survived. She pulled through the surgery. As soon as her physical injuries are better, she'll be placed into psychiatric care to ensure she gets the help she needs."

Peter grinned. "So- She's okay then? Like, she'll pull through."

Tony nodded as Peter sat back and sighed.

"That's great. I'm glad."

"I'm happy for her too. But kid, next time something like this happens you can't run away. You call me, or Happy or your Aunt or any one of those friends you always talk about. Got it? My heart can't take any more worry."

"I understand. No more 2-hour bus trips without telling anyone."

"Exactly, no more crossing state borders. Promise?"

"Promise."

"Alright kiddo, why don't you get some rest before you have to face the wrath of May Parker?"

Peter groaned. "I'll need all the rest I can get before the 8-hour lecture I'm about to have."

Tony smiled as Peter began to nod off, his long day finally catching up to him.

"Glad you're okay, kid."

* * *

 **Hey everyone! This chapter was once again very personal for me. I try to incorporate themes from my life into my writing. I haven't posted anything in a while, I'm aware. I've had a crazy past couple months between exams and some health issues I've been facing. I've also had a family member attempt suicide recently. She is recovering, but it's been very hard on me so I haven't had the motivation to write recently.**

 **Also, I am not an American so I have no idea how long a bus trip from NYC to Philadelphia would be/cost so I based my guess on some quick google searches.**

 **Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and once again please be kind in the comments! :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey everyone! Last chapter!**

 **This chapter is a bit of a continuation from chapter 4, and also deals with issues of mental illness/depression. So I'm putting a trigger warning here! Don't read if these topics may cause you distress.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

Peter was trying to go over the events in his head.

The most recent history in his life that suddenly seemed to make no sense as he tried to recall the moments that had led up to this.

He was making an attempt to remember how he got there- _here_ , sitting in a brightly lit office smelling of chemicals, an elderly and greying doctor sitting across from him, reading over some papers in his hand.

His aunt sat next to him rubbing comforting circles on his back, as she attempted to sit still, her teeth digging into her bottom lip as an attempt to stop it from quivering.

The doctor cleared his throat before speaking.

"I'd like to start him on a low dose of Prozac."

May sat up, her hand retreating from her nephew's back. "An antidepressant? Will that be okay for him? He's only 15…"

"I prescribe antidepressants to many people his age. It's an unfortunate reality. We will have to monitor him closely, as there is an increased risk of suicide in the use of Prozac with individuals under the age of 18, but I do think it will benefit him. I also strongly recommend he seeks counselling on top of the medication for his treatment."

May sucked in a deep breath, looking over cautiously at the young brunette teen.

"And this will help with the… panic attacks?" The last words of her sentence came out as a whisper, but Peter still heard. He shot her a look. _How did she know about that? Did Mr. Stark tell her?_

"I am hoping that it will, however sometimes it is difficult to find a medication that works for the individual. Sometimes it is a process of trial and error."

May nodded before looking at her nephew. "Are you hearing this sweetie, are you okay with this?"

Peter looked down at his clammy hands as they folded in on each other. Tiny nail marks embedded in the skin of his palm.

"Fine." He said quietly, his attention not completely grasped onto the conversation being held. May forced a small smile, before turning her attention back to the doctor.

"He's hasn't been himself in a while, it's like his mind has been in a whole other world. I hope this will help him- it has to help him."

"I am confident that he will make some progress if he starts a treatment plan. I'm going to write down the prescription, and you can just drop it off at your local pharmacy as soon as possible."

May muttered a quick thanks to the doctor before turning to Peter, gripping his arm. "Are you ready to go?"

Peter nodded though the words had barely registered in his brain, yet suddenly he found himself standing up and following the woman out the door, her gentle hand still wrapped around his upper arm.

The ride back to their apartment was uneventful. May attempted to initiate a conversation with her sullen nephew, but Peter just sat there staring out the window at the passing signs.

"How are you feeling?" She asked.

Peter shrugged, using his voice seemed to be too much of an effort.

"Are you hungry at all? I have a frozen pizza in the freezer, I can throw it in the oven. Or we can watch a movie and make popcorn?"

Peter slowly shook his head. "Don't feel like eating."

He could see the frown on his aunt's face from the corner of his eye.

"Okay honey."

They rode in silence for the next few blocks.

He was grateful when they finally pulled up to their building, anxious to go to his room and lay in bed for the night. He got out of the car and began heading up the stairs, May struggling to keep up.

"Peter- "

He turned slightly at her shaky voice.

"Peter, I feel like we should talk… about what happened… about what's been going on."

"I'm not ready to talk yet." _It was too soon._

May nodded. "When you're ready, okay?"

Peter returned the nod. "Okay."

"Can I have a hug?"

He walked down the steps separating the two of them and wrapped his arms around her as she rubbed the back of his head, comfortingly. "I'm so proud of you for speaking up about how you feel… I know that wasn't easy. I love you so much."

A flash of memories started filling his blank mind as she spoke.

* * *

 **2 days earlier**

Peter sat on the edge of his bed, staring at the wall in front of him covered with vintage movie posters- _Empire Strikes Back_ and _Aliens_.

It was a Saturday and he was home alone. May had been called into work earlier that morning.

Normally when he had the apartment to his self he would invite a friend over- Ned, most likely- for pizza and video games.

But today was different.

Today, his brain felt foggy and his chest felt numb. Not physically painful, but it still hurt in a way that was uncomfortably demoralizing.

And it wasn't just today. No, he hadn't been feeling himself in a couple of weeks. It wasn't the panic attacks this time, he was managing that. Mr. Stark had taught him some techniques to cope when he felt he was on the verge of breaking down.

No, this was different. This was a feeling of complete discontentment, everything seemed boring to him- no excitement, no sorrow. Only the numbness in his chest and a brain that seemed to be fading to grey.

It's as if all the energy he had packed a bag and left his body to fade into a state of disparity.

The feeling of vibration next to his thigh brought him out of his trance.

He picked up without bothering to check the caller ID, just anxious to talk to anybody who would listen.

"Hello?" His voice was barely above a whisper, his hands were shaking wildly.

" _Pete, hey. Are you busy? I've been working on some new designs for your webshooters and I'd like for you to come by and check them out."_

On any other occasion, he would've jumped at the opportunity to visit Tony Stark in his lab, working on inventions for his suit, but not today. What would he say? _Sorry, Mr. Stark I've seemed to have fallen into a state of absolute melancholy, I won't be able to make it._

"I'm sorry, I can't."

That was all he had managed to say.

" _Oh, that's no problem. Just haven't seen you in a while. How are you doing? Happy said you haven't been updating him on your patrols, so I thought I'd check in myself."_

"I haven't gone out in a while."

He should've added an explanation to that… said he had been busy with school, or something. Instead he listened to the hanging silence on the other end.

" _Ah. Well, that's alright. You've got a busy schedule. But, how are you? How's your aunt?"_

"She's fine."

 _And I'm not._

" _And you?"_ Tony prodded.

"I'm… Okay."

 _He wasn't._

" _You sure about that? You sound kind of off…"_

He choked on a gasp of air as he attempted to hold back the thoughts protruding his head. _No, I'm not okay. I don't know what's wrong. I just feel so empty inside… So broken. I need help, I need to talk to somebody._

He opted for a simpler response. "I'm just not feeling myself today."

He heard Tony shuffling with his phone on the other end before the man spoke again. " _Okay… Okay, let's talk about that. Can you elaborate?"_

Peter shook his head, though he was aware that Tony couldn't see his movements. He felt tears threatening to escape his eyes. His mind was screaming at him to tell the truth, and he felt too exhausted to lie to himself or anyone anymore.

His voice was quavering.

"I'm really struggling, Mr. Stark. I need help."

He regretted the words as soon as they escaped his mouth.

His heart pounded in his chest as he waited for a response, and it seemed to take forever for one to come.

" _Where are you right now, Peter?"_

"I'm at home…"

" _Is your aunt there?"_

"No, she's at work."

" _Okay kiddo, do you feel safe by yourself right now?"_

Peter raised an eyebrow, not quite understanding the question. "Yes? I-I'm not in danger or anything."

" _That's good, Pete. I'm glad you feel safe, I'm just making sure you don't feel like hurting yourself."_

Peter rose from his bed in a quick motion, his voice raising nearly an octave. "No! I'm not going to- I'm not- I'm just feeling down, I'm not planning on doing anything!"

" _Ok, calm down kid. I'm just making sure. Alright. Here's what's going to happen. I'm going to come over there and wait with you for your aunt to come home, and we're going to talk to her. Together."_

Peter's eyes widened. "No! No, sir, that's really not necessary- "

" _Peter- "_ Tony cut him off.

"No, look. I'm fine, I'm just feeling a little bit… depressed today. You're busy, please don't bother coming over, I'll just… I'll talk to May when she gets home."

" _Kid, trust me from experience. It takes a lot of courage to tell someone when you're feeling depressed, and I'm glad you told me, but you really need to talk to your aunt, because she's the one who can help you more than I can. I'm afraid that as soon as I hang up the phone you're going to pretend that everything's okay and not tell May what's going on. I'm not coming over to punish you, I just want to be there to support you."_

He was trying to stay strong, he really was but he broke down as he heard his mentor's words.

"Thank you, Tony. For listening."

* * *

 **Present Day**

Peter pulled away from the hug and noticed the tears in his aunt's eyes, his heart breaking at the sight.

"No… May. Please don't cry."

"Oh honey, I was just so worried about you. I didn't know what to think when I came home and I saw Tony Stark sitting there, and you were crying- I just… I was so scared! But Peter, I am so, so proud of you for speaking up. I'm glad you didn't let those feelings go on any longer, and we're going to try and get you better, okay?"

Peter nodded. "I'm sorry."

May grabbed her nephew firmly by the shoulders. "No. Don't say that. You can't be sorry for something you can't control. Peter, depression is an illness, it's a chemical imbalance in the brain. Nothing is your fault, okay?"

"Okay, Aunt May."

"Let's go upstairs." She said, leading the way as Peter followed close behind.

They had just made it to the front door of their apartment when his phone started ringing from the pocket in his jeans. He quickly pulled it out to look at who was calling.

 _Tony Stark._

"Uh, May, would it be okay if I took this call out here for a second? I'll meet you inside."

"Sure, Peter. I'll be inside making dinner, in case you change your mind about eating later."

Peter gave a slight wave as she shut the door and he pressed the green "answer" icon on his slightly cracked phone screen.

"Hey, Mr. Stark."

" _Hey kid. Just checking in. How are you feeling?"_

"A lot better, actually." Peter answered honestly.

" _Really? That's great to hear Underoos!"_

"If you asked me that question a few days ago, I would've said I feel like complete and utter crap. But, today I just feel… relieved. I'm glad I got my feelings off my chest and I'm glad I'm getting help. Thank you, Mr. Stark."

" _No- nu-uh, you've got no one to thank, but yourself. You're the one who admitted that you were hurting inside and that takes guts kid."_

"Well, I just want to say thank you for talking to Aunt May with me. I probably wouldn't have been able to do that on my own."

" _No problem, kiddo. I'm happy to hear that you're feeling better."_

"Thanks, Mr. Stark, really. For being there for me."

" _I'm always there for you, Pete. If you ever need to talk, I'm here."_

"I appreciate it Mr.- "

" _Peter."_ Tony interrupted, sternly.

"Yes?"

" _Why have you reverted back to your formal ways? I thought I told you to call me Tony."_

Peter laughed, and startled as he did. He had laughed for the first time in weeks. The feeling was so unfamiliar.

Tony must've noticed the falter in his laugh. _"It's okay to be happy, Peter."_

"I know. I just wish I could feel happy more often. I've missed this feeling."

" _If you commit to helping yourself feel better, then you will. It'll take time, but I know you can do it. You're such a strong kid, and I'm so proud of you."_

Peter's heart felt like it skipped a beat. "Y-You're proud of me?"

" _Of course I am. You know, there's a lot of you in me."_

"Huh?" Peter's eyebrows shot up.

" _Sorry, that came out like… really wrong. What I'm trying to say is that you remind me of myself when I was your age."_

Peter nearly blushed. "Really?"

" _Yeah kid. I don't know what I'd do if something happened to you. You're- "Tony_ paused, _"You're like a son to me, Pete."_

Peter beamed at his mentor's words. "I don't know what to say… Wait a second, Tony, are you crying!?"

The sniffles Peter could've sworn he heard on the other end quickly came to a half as he heard Tony clear his throat before speaking. _"No, I am not crying, geesh. Now, listen kiddo why don't you skedaddle and get some rest? That's the best thing for you right now, just taking time to heal yourself physically in order to heal mentally."_

Peter nodded so he knew Tony couldn't see the action. "Sounds good, Tony."

" _And Peter? Don't forget that people care about you, okay?"_

"Okay, Tony."

" _I love you, kiddo."_

* * *

 **SO INFINITY WAR ACTUALLY BROKE MY HEART INTO PIECES.**

 **Had to write the ending of this chapter positively in order to mend my broken soul.**

 **Anyways, that's it! I really hope you enjoyed it! Now that I finished it I'll be going back to continue some old works, and I also look forward to writing some Infinity War fics! I am always open to accepting prompts which you can send to me on my Tumblr ( ).**

 **Thank you everyone for the support while writing this fic!**

 **Stay safe and remember you're never alone. 3**

 **-Morgan**


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